DEFORESTATION IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON RAINFOREST :
How bad is the deforestation in the Brazilian amazon rainforest ? What is Brazilian amazon rainforest ? and most importantly how it is going to affect us and our only world ? You must be fascinated and curious to know the answers . Right ?
Then I can assure you that results will take your breath away. So, lets find out all your answer together.
Amazon rainforest is one of the precious gift to the earth including us. The importance of this rainforest is so vital that if the amazon rainforest ever disappears then its brutal consequences will be felt in every corner of the earth by extreme floods, droughts, reduced biodiversity, massive destruction of animal world, uncontrollable erosion of soil, infectious diseases, climate change.
The history of amazon rainforest shows that it really took a huge time to built up. Nearly it took 33.9 million years to form. So, if it ever disappears then it would be so hard or can be impossible for us to built it up again.
The saddest thing is for us that we are already known the importance of the amazon rainforest, but we are being the culprit for the destruction of amazon rainforest through directly or indirectly.
he deforestation in the Brazilian amazon rainforest is increasing with a brisk speed. But why only Brazilian amazon rainforest , as the amazon rainforest is also located in many countries. Lets find out what is Brazilian amazon rainforest and why it is increasing ?
BRAZILIAN AMAZON RAINFORESTION :
As you know amazon is the largest rainforest in the world. The amazon rainforest has covered almost 5.5 million SQ. KM of earth. The amazon basin is so huge that it can roughly conclude the size of the 48 Contiguous United states and covers some 40% of the south American continent. And also the amazon rainforest is home to approximately 30million people on earth.
Though 17% of the amazon rainforest has been lost by mankind but yet it is crowned as the largest rainforest in the world by representing 60% of the world’s total rainforest. By this data you can imagine that how really huge the amazon rainforest is !!!
Amazon rainforest is so large that it has spreaded its total region in almost 9 countries including Brazil (58.08%), Peru (12.8%), Bolivia(7.7%), Colombia(7.1%), Venezuele(6.1%), Guyana (3.1%), Suriname(2.5%), French Guyana(1.4%) and Euador with 1%.
So, only Brazil occupies 60% of the amazon rainforest. This huge region of amazon rainforest located in-between the boarders of Brazil is known as the Brazilian amazon rainforest. Sadly Brazil is responsible for the most of destruction in the amazon rainforest as compared to the other 8 countries. So, there would many questions must have raised in your mind such as What is the deforestation in the Brazilian amazon rainforest ? What are the causes of deforestation in the Brazilian amazon rainforest ?
And what drives deforestation in the Brazilian amazon rainforest ? Read the rest of the article to find out your answers.
DEFORESTATION IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON RAINFOREST :
Deforestation is a threat for us. Through directly or indirectly we are becoming the culprit and victim of this destruction.
Human nature is always limited by economy. This is the real reason behind the deforestation of the Brazilian amazon rainforest. The deforestation in the amazon Rainforest is a great source for the economical growth of Brazil. You will be surprised by knowing that Brazil’s annual GDP growth rate has increased at an average of 2.51% form 1991 until 2019 mostly for the deforestation in the Brazilian amazon rainforest.
Brazilian amazon rainforest face so many destruction for cattle ranching. As you know brazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef and beef production leads to the direct loss of forest. According to data , in 2019, only Brazil had exported 1.63 millions tones of beef and it has been counted as the highest number on record.
Even 20% of global beef exported come from brazil. In this way you can surely imagine how much of the amazon rainforest are lost only for beef production.
Cattle ranching is the leading cause for the deforestation in the amazon. Brazil also has world’s 2nd largest cattle herd in counting 232 million per head. Cattle ranching is so impactful that almost 80% of the current deforestation happens for this.
Since 1960 , the cattle herd of amazon basin has developed from 5 million to more than that 70 to 80 million. Nearly 15% of the amazon rainforest has been replaced and 900000 of amazon have been converted to pastures. So in this way the cattle ranching does deforestation in the Brazilian amazon rainforest.
AGGRICULTURE :
Agriculture has become the enemy of the amazon rainforest. Though agriculture has proven a boost to economy of brazil but it has also been proven as a significant loss of amazon rainforest. Since 1990, Brazil has lost about 150000SQ. Miles of amazon rainforest estimating an area of New England.
Only Brazilian Agro industrialists own 800000 farms which occupy 75.7% of the nations agricultural land which cost to the most of the deforestation. Agriculture was also responsible for 23.5% to the GDP of Brazil, and crop production alone injected over 360 billion reals into the Brazilian economy.
According to NASA satellite data, clearing for mechanized crop land has become a significant reason behind the deforestation in Brazil. You will be stunned by knowing that Brazil has lost about 2500 SQ. MILES of rainforest in between Aug 2016 and July 2017. In this way the agriculture makes a huge impact on the deforestation in the Brazilian amazon rainforest.
TIMBER EXTRACTION :
Amazon rainforest is a store house of timber. You will be amazed by knowing that the amazon occupies 400billion trees in it and almost 16 thousand different species of trees also grows in amazon. Without no doubt you can surely assume that Brazil has took so many advantage of amazon. Timber extraction leads to the direct loss of trees. In 1966 Asian companies invested 500million dollars in the Brazilian timber industry. According to ITTO (2017) In 2015 , timber industries of Brazil had produced about 136 million m3 of Logs.
Brazil also accounts for 55% of all timber and timber products export by south America. In this way the unsustainable logging causes significant ecological damage of the amazon rainforest.
CONCLUSION :
In this ways Brazil is increasing the rate of deforestation in the amazon rainforest. Lets to be frank about it we can’t eat money. Though deforestation is also important for a nation to upgrade its economy but the way Brazil is doing it not going to help us anyway. Deforestation is the greatest way to boost some nations economy, way of living, GDP and even the producer of many hazardous situations such as soil erosion, climate change, loss of biodiversity and a lot more to see. So, the deforestation in the Brazilian amazon rainforest has to be stopped.
If we want a better life to live we have to choose one thing in between :- A world with Amazon or a world without it.
